1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a needle holder assembly for a seed handling system that functions to assemble radioisotope seeds for medical applications.
2. Prior Art
In seed handling apparatus used for assembling radioisotope seeds for medical applications, a needle holder is used for holding a plurality of needles, for example 10 to 15 needles, each loaded with a plurality of radioisotope seeds and blank spacers in a predetermined pattern, aligned longitudinally or axially. According to the prior art, such a needle holder is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,529. Unfortunately, the needle holder depicted in the aforesaid patent has the disadvantage that in order to support the needle holder, it must either be inserted into a fitting on the rear of the seed handling apparatus of which it forms a part, or it must be laid flat. Whereas this is stated to be an advantage, according to the patent disclosure, because an X-ray can be taken of the needles, while they are lying flat, to insure that they are loaded properly, nevertheless, the proposal according to the patent suffers the disadvantage of the needle holder having to be supported whenever it is in the upright position. Further, the needle holder according to the patent is limited to holding a single row of needles, aligned in a common plane.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a needle holder for a seed handling system that is more versatile. This is accomplished by providing a needle holder that is provided with special features to enable the needle holder to maintain itself in a stable vertical position, while at the same time, being enabled to be transported easily from one location to another. While in a vertical self-supporting position, the needle holder can be placed in proper juxtaposition to a seed handling apparatus, such as a table provided with a suitable shield for an operator. A sorting tray positioned on the shielded table allows the operator to select seeds or blanks and load the needles held vertically in the novel needle holder. A further novel feature of the present invention is the provision of a novel needle holder that has two staggered rows of openings to receive needles in two staggered rows thereby holding twice the number of needles possible with the needle holder of the prior art. Another advantage of the novel needle holder is that it is fully shielded at all times.
In a further refinement of the invention, it is an object to provide a needle holder for use in a seed handling assembly comprising a box-like open-sided metal frame having a bottom, a top and opposed side frame members, a pair of steel shielding plates enclosing the sides of the frame, the top frame member defining a at least one row of holes for receiving elongated needles containing radioactive seeds.
Feet attached to opposite sides of the frame to enable the needle holder to be free standing, and lifting elements attached to the frame to enable the needle holder to be picked up and moved while needles are held in the needle holder and for a person lifting and moving the needle holder to be shielded from radioactive seeds in a needle.
The needle holder can have two rows of staggered holes defined in the top frame member. The needle holder can be arranged such that the feet are disposed normal to the planes of the steel shielding plates, and in a further refinement, each foot can comprise a trapezoidal plate with the small base attached to the side frame member and the large base serving as the bearing surface to maintain the needle holder free standing.
The lifting elements of the needle holder can be posts attached to the top portions of the side frame members and extend normal thereto terminating in free ends.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a needle holder for use in a seed handling assembly comprising a box-like open-sided metal frame having a bottom, a top and opposed side frame members, a pair of steel shielding plates enclosing the sides of the frame, the top frame member defining a at least one row of holes for receiving elongated needles containing radioactive seeds, feet attached to opposite sides of the frame to enable the needle holder to be free standing, each foot comprising a trapezoidal plate with the small base attached to the side frame member and the large base serving as the bearing surface to maintain the needle holder free standing, and posts attached to the top portions of the side frame members and extending normal thereto terminating in free ends to enable the needle holder to be picked up and moved while needles are held in the needle holder and for a person lifting and moving the needle holder to be shielded from radioactive seeds in a needle. Also, in this construction, the needle holder can have two rows of staggered holes defined in the top frame member.
Essentially, it is an object of the invention to provide a needle holder for use in a seed handling assembly that is made as a box-like open-sided metal frame having a bottom, a top and opposed side frame members with a pair of steel shielding plates enclosing the sides of the frame. The top frame member defines at least one row of holes for receiving elongated needles containing radioactive seeds. Feet are attached to opposite sides of the frame to enable the needle holder to be free standing. Lifting elements are attached to the frame to enable the needle holder to be picked up and moved while needles are held in the needle holder and for a person lifting and moving the needle holder to be shielded from radioactive seeds in a needle.
Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention described in detail hereinafter.